I’ve been blocking acrylic granny squares and garments ever since I started crocheting over a year ago, and it’s my favorite way to smooth out uneven stitches, even out the…
Crocheting is a relatively inexpensive hobby on average, but can have a range of almost free to luxury. The starting cost of crocheting is around $20, and costs between $10 and $100 per project for yarn. Decreasing costs is possible by sourcing yarn for free from friends, yard sales, and through couponing.
If you’ve just ventured into the world of amigurumi, you might be a bit confused about what exactly the line is between a regular crochet project and “amigurumi.” This term is frequently thrown around to describe all manner of crochet projects, so it may be difficult for beginners to determine what exactly constitutes amigurumi.
When crocheting in the round to make amigurumi, the right side is the surface that is more textured and has a pattern of repeating “V” shapes throughout. The opposite side is the wrong side, and has horizontal bars instead of the “V” pattern. The right side of amigurumi is decided by convention only, and does not have any further ramifications for crocheting amigurumi.
Amigurumi are a specific type of project under the general crochet umbrella, referring to crocheting 3D toys. The materials required for crochet and amigurumi are more or less the same, including yarn, a hook, and stitch markers for both. However, amigurumi also require some sort of toy stuffing in order to properly bring your animals to life. The techniques for both have a significant overlap; crocheters will be able to make amigurumi without much trouble.
Let’s break it all down; today, we’re talking about exactly what skills you need and how to use them for amigurumi! As a general rule, the five basic skills required…
All amigurumi can be spot washed easily and effectively, though only some can be machine washed. Amigurumi made with acrylic yarn can be machine washed like normal, those made with cotton yarn can be washed on a gentle cycle though they may shrink a little, but amigurumi made from wool yarn should not be washed as they will shrink and emerge looking like felt.
Following amigurumi patterns is fun and straightforward, but have you ever wanted to create an image that was living inside your head? Before I started designing my own amigurumi patterns, I used to scour the internet looking for patterns or pictures that matched the exact kind of stuffie that I wanted to make. It could take hours and often, there just wasn’t a pattern that existed, because everyone out there has their own unique style!
If you spend a little too much of your time making amigurumi like I do, then you’re probably also pretty invested in making your amigurumi project look as cute as possible. So besides the yarn, hooks, and notions, what goes into that elusive cute factor?
Since the moment that I picked up my first crochet hook, I’ve spent lots and lots of my free time crocheting amigurumi. You might be wondering how long it takes to crochet a cute amigurumi animal or doll, so I’m here to tell you which projects will be quick makes, and which are destined to be long term projects.